Portable phonograph



Sept. 22, 1925. l 1,554,621

, S. l?. BOYNTON l `POR'K'ABLE PHONOGRPH Filed Marsh- 25, 1921- 2 shears-smet. 1

sept. 22, 1925. 1,554,621

S. D. BOY NTON PORTABLE PHoNoGRAPH Filed March 26. 1921 2 shuts-Sheet 2' fia.

Patented Sept. 22, 1925.

,PQMArLe Haarlemse- `Application filed March 2 6, 1921. Serial No. 455,949.

To all 'whom t may concern: i 4

Be it known that I, SoLoN D. BoYN'roN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofrMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Portable lPhonographs, of which the following isa specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide a phonograph or talking machine which is adapted Vto be readily carried and to contain within it while being transported a large number of records. Occasion frequently arises when a person desires to carry a phonographand records away from his permanent residence for entertainment in the course of an excursion. The ordinary phonographs, even those of the smaller sizes, are bulky and difficult yto carry; while to provide a supply of records requires the records to be made up into a separate package additional to the phonograph, The difficulty vof doing this restricts the use of the ordinary phonograph and `limits the amount of pleasure capableof beingderived from it. According to the present-invention I have provided a Phenograph having all the nenes sary elements for the reproduction .of recorded sounds with satisfactory volume, which is of compact dirnensionS 'enabling it tobe carried inthe hand by means of Aan `attached handle or strap, or to be placed in a hand bag, or stowed in asmallcompass among' other goods, and which alsocont-ains within its own interior space adapted to receive a number of records, `sufficiently llarge -to ive variety off entertainment during a'consinerable time.

The precise nature of the invention and the form in which I prefer to embody it in a practical instrument are Aexplained in the following specification with r'flence tothe drawings.

In the drawings,- 1 i Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved phonograph with the cover opened and turned aside.

Figure 2 is a cross sectie-11 0n line 2-2 0f Figure'l looking inthe direction of the arrow.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end elevation as seen from the left of Figure 3. l

Figure 5 is a plan view of a st iaictural detail of the phonograph. i

The case of the phonographcomprises al bottom 1, fixed side walls`2, 2, an end wall@ and top wall 4. A `bearing is 'provided in( the top wall for the turntable@ o'nfwhic-h` therecord being played is placed and `for the spindle 6j of said turn table. `AAI-'reproducer 7, of any .suit-able character isada-pted to `be actuated ,by the record placedon the turn table, and is carried by atone arm 8 having a swivel and telescopic connection through an elbow fitting l9 with a fixed tube 10 and an amplifying horn. Said amplifying 'horn is formed in part by astationary solid piece l1 fixed to the'bottornof the case and having a flaring form.` Said piece 11 may alsobeoonsidered as theterrnginal section of the tone arm. The smaller end of this piece is jointed to the tube 10. The ina-jor part of the amplifying horn Vis comprised by the v'bottom liofthe cabinet and lby side walls` 12, l2 and top wall `13 whichgfittogether te form substantially atru-ncated pyramid and s'aid walls converge to thelargerfend ofthe cgupling piece 11 and match the edges `-there`-` The side walls 12, 12 ofthe `hornar'e hinged ,on upright pivots 14;, 14:V nearthe corners of the case so thatzthey maybe swung apartand-lie close to the walls 2, 2 thereoff;`

while the top wall of the horn is pivOtBd by a horizontal pin 15 close totheV wall 4 of the case, whereby it is adapted to swing into a position beside the latter wall.

'Springs 16 and 17 bear. against the side walls of the horn, as shownin Figures 1 and 3, and normally hold them in the position shown, but they areadapted to yield and permit the insertion of a package ory group of records. The springs here shown are of the leafA type and are each fixed atone end to the adjacent wall of the bok` or case and bear 'at the other end against the adjacent wall of the horn. The insertion of abundle of records spreads. the Walls of the horn apart, while ,theremoval of said records allows said walls nto spring back to their normal position.` Thus the same space withinthe case of the phonograph serves to `contain the amplifying horn 4and is likewise a storage' space for they occur nin all of records. The latter may be put in such .space when the phonograph is being packed up to be carried away.

The open end of the case is provided with doors 18 of a type common in phonographs and such doors are preferably provided with a lock or clasp to hold them shut and retain the records.

A partition 19 is mounted across the interior of the case to divide the record-receiving space from the space at the back of the case where the sound conducting tube and the driving motor are contained. The motor is not here shown, but I have provided space in which one may be placed, and types of motor are available on the market which are capable of being mounted in such space and of being connected to drive the turn table through a, shaft 2O and a worin and wheel drive 21 and 22, Figure 1.

The usual cups 23, 24 and 25 are provided for needles, and a cover is arranged to overlie the top ofthe case and hold said cups in place and cover them and also to hold the reprodiicer and ltone arm,` so that the latter will not be knocked about and be injured. y

The cover preferably consists of two leaves 26 and'27, .hinged together by hinges 28 on which the cover may be' folded double so that when opened it may lie along one of the side walls of the case, the width of the folded cover then being no greater than the height of the case. The leaf 26 of the cover is hinged to the case with a sliding connection so that it may both swing about the edge of the case and also slide over the top thereof until the joint-.between the leaves is inidway between the side walls 2, 2.

Various forms of hinge having this capacity and func'tion maybe used and I have shown here a hinge plate or; lug 29 connected by a pintle or pivot 30 with the wall of the case and having a T-shaped head 31 whichl slides in a runway 32 provided in the under side of the leaf 26, running from and perpendicular to its upper or inner edge. Thereby when the cover is brought from the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 toa horizontal location it may be slid upon said hinges overthe top of the case until its outer edge is approximately flush with the wall 2 thereof and then the leafy 27 may be folded over to overlie the balance of the case. lock or clasp is provided to hold the cover in a closed position; and when closed it bears or lies so close to the reproducer as to pre-- vent any excessive movementof thelatter. At such times the tone arm is swung aside on the turn table and laid on the top wall 4 of the case, there being a recess or pocket 33 cut into or` through said top wall to receive the reproducer.

wWhen in the covered and secured position the reproducer is below the plane of the A suitable turn table and in order that the needle or stylus may be placed lupon the record the tone arm must be raised. Hence the elbow fitting 9,'previously described, has a telescopic connection 'with the conducting tube 10 and is adapted to be slid up and down thereon. It carries lugs 34, 35 which are adapted to pass through notches in a supporting ring 36 which is set into the top wall 4. This ring is provided with two lips 37 and 38 in parallel planesv and spaced apart widely enough to receive the lugs 34, 35 `between them. In the lip 37 are lnotches 39 and 40 adapted to permit passage through them of the lugs, and in the lip 38 are similar notches 41 and 42 placed out of line with the notches 39 and 40, In assembling the elbow fitting with the other parts of the instrument, kthe lugs are passed through the notches in the upper lip and rest on the lower lip, which supports the 'fitting and tone arm at the height necessary to overlie the record; but when the tone arm and elbow fitting are turned so as to register the lugs with the notches 41 and 42, the entire tonearmkmay be lowered below the closed position of the cover. Vhen the tone arm is raised into operative position, the upper lip 37 prevents the elbow fitting from being withdrawn entirely from the conducting tube 10. At this time, of course, the cover is opened or swung aside and the phonograph is used in the ordinary manner, the doors 18 being opened more or less to emit the volume of sound desired'.

When it is desired to pack up the phonograph and records to be carried from one place to another, the tone arm is swung aside until the lugs 34 and 35 register with the notches 41 and 42 in the supporting ring, and then the tone arm is lowereduntil the lowerend of the elbow'tting 9 rests on a pin 43 which projects from the side of the tube l0. The cover is then placed over the turn table and made fast, the package of records is passed into the end opening of the case, pushing the walls of the horn aside, and the end doors are closed and made fast. Thereby the phonograph and a supply of records are combined in a single compact package which may be surrounded by a strap or cord to provide a handle, or may be provided with a permanent one on yone of theside walls or the end wall.

Vhat I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

l 1. A phonograph comprising a case, a tone arm having a terminal section opening within said case, and a horn comprising flaring walls pivoted to the case adjacent to the large end of the horn arranged to swing at their other ends toward and away froml said section.

2. A phonograph having a case and a horn contained within the case, said -horn having separable Walls hinged to the case adjacent to the large end of the horn.

3. A phonograph comprising a case having an interior space for an amplifying horn adapted to receive records, said horn being constructed With Walls arranged for and capable of being spread apart by an inserted bundle of records While remaining Within said case.

4. In a phonographJ a concealed horn having separated Walls pivoted to the case of the phonograph at the large end oi' the horn and springs tending to act on said Walls, normally holding them together and permiting them to be spread apart.

5. A portable phonograph comprising a case having a top Wall, a turn table mounted over said top Wall7 reproducer, a tone arm carrying said reproducer, a sound conducting tube, a coup ing between said tone arm and tube having a telescopic connection With the latter whereby the tone arm may be brought into a location close to said top Wall, and a cover arranged to overlie said tone arm and reproducer and to coniine the latter.

6. A portable phonograph comprising a case adapted to be opened at one end, Walls forming an amplifying horn mounted adjacent to said open end near the Walls of the case and constructed to converge at their opposite ends but With capability of spreading apart to admit records for transportation, and a tone arm having a terminal section opening at the convergence of said Walls.

7. In a portable phonograph, a case, a turn table, a cover attached to said case and adapted to overlie the same close to the turn table, an oscillating tone arm, a reproducer, a horn contained Within said case, a tube arranged to conduct sound from said tone arm to said horn, and a. coupling between said tube and tone arm having a swivel and telescopic engagement with the former whereby to permit raising of the tone arm into a position enabling it to swing over the turn table, and lowering of the tone arm into a position permitting the cover to be closed.

8. A phonograph as set forth in claim 7 including a supporting ring or plate for the tone arm when in its raised position, and lugs on said telescopic coupling adapted to rest on said supporting ring, the latter having notches appropriately placed to permit passage of said lugs When the tone arm is shifted from one to the other of its aforesaid positions.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed ,my

signature.

SOLON D. BOYNTON. 

